People don’t have to live with vision loss due to cataracts. Through new technological advances, cataract surgery today is faster, more effective and more comfortable for the patient. Cataract surgery is the most commonly performed surgery in the United States. More than two million people have cataract surgery each year in the United States. Over 95 percent of cataract surgeries are performed without complications and result in a significant improvement in vision.
Cataracts
A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil. The lens works much like a camera lens, focusing light onto the retina at the back of the eye. The lens also adjusts the eye's focus, letting us see things clearly both up close and far away.
The lens is mostly made of water and protein. The protein is arranged in a precise way that keeps the lens clear and allows light to pass through it. But as we age, some of the protein may clump together and start to cloud a small area of the lens. This is a cataract, and over time, it may grow larger and cloud more of the lens, making it harder to see.
Most cataracts occur gradually as we age and don't become bothersome until after age 55. However, cataracts can also be present at birth (congenital cataracts) or occur at any age as the result of an injury to the eye (traumatic cataracts). Cataracts can also be caused by diseases such as diabetes or can occur as the result of long-term use of certain medications, such as steroids.
|
 |
|
|  |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
